Bollywood stars Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan have teamed up for a new movie, directed by Ritesh Batra of The Lunchbox fame. The new comedy-drama, known as Long Years Ago, features French actress Mélanie Laurent and is being shot in Mumbai.
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There will also be a family aspect to the film, with the film delving into what lies beneath family relationships and unspoken emotions and conversations that have been avoided for a quarter of a century. Set in 1991, a family whose members have all had to confront their own feelings.
The film combines three film industries through three players, with Batra trying his hand at something more serious than a blockbuster.
What Is Long Years Ago About?
The film takes place in 1991, focusing on a family who has avoided uncomfortable discussions for several years. As the storyline unfolds, the family members are compelled to speak out and speak their minds.
Producer s have termed the film as a love story, family story and the words we always find difficult to say to each other. However, there have been no other details of the character or the story have been announced.
The period setting is also outside a today’s Mumbai social life and people may not immediately connect, but the questions remain the same:what happens when relatives stop talking and anger is left to fester?
Batra is known for his intimacy with his characters and focussing on their struggles and this would have been what the film was expected to look like.
Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan Are Coming Back
The film’s biggest talking point is Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan coming back together.
They first shared the screen in Parineeta (2005), which was Vidya’s Hindi film debut and later did a film called Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007). And now, they’ve teamed up again after almost a decade for their latest venture.
Here’s a behind the scene shot from the shoot of The Lunchbox movie where she is working with her favorite actor, Irrfan Khan. Vidya said, “I had been dying to work with Ritesh Batra. After watching his film The Lunchbox, I had become an instant fan.”
Here’s what she said about working with her. “I was happy to work with Batra and get back with Saif,” said the actress. She added that she felt that Batra’s movies are always “honest and sensitive” stories of human relationships.
Saif also had good words about the project. “I was immediately very interested in this story and I look forward to collaborating with Vidya, Mélanie Laurent and Batra,” he added.
The story allows both actors to team up once more in a story about family bonds and emotions.
Mélanie Laurent Enters the Cast
French actor and director, Mélanie Laurent also appears in Long Years Ago. She is known to global audiences for her roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and the mystery-thriller Now You See Me.
Laurent will give this an international name, although the story is within a family setting in India.
She said she first met Batra approximately 15 years ago when he visited the Marrakech Film Festival. They spoke about her working in Mumbai and she said that she was glad she finally got that chance.
The name of the character and the extent of her part have not been revealed.
Ritesh Batra Is Back With a Family Drama
Ritesh Batra gained worldwide acclaim for The Lunchbox, which was spotlighted at the Cannes Film Festival and was lauded as an understated meditation on loneliness and intimacy.
The filmmaker has also directed Photograph (Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra) and Our Souls at Night (Robert Redford and Jane Fonda).
His films typically look at the ways in which we relate to other people through minor details of life and talk. Long Years Ago seems to pick up that theme again, telling a story about people who can’t communicate.
“I am delighted to collaborate with Saif, Vidya and Laurent. I am really excited to see the three of them breathe life into my characters,” Batra has said.
Who Is Producing the Film?
Long Years Ago in partnership with Poetic License, the film and television company behind Batra and Adeel Ahmed, and in collaboration with Jio Studios and Good Chaos.
Jyoti Deshpande. Mike Goodridge, Teresa Moneo and Siddharth Mehra are the executive producers.
Principal photography has commenced in Mumbai. The makers of the film are yet to announce the theatrical release date and streaming plans.
Now that filming has begun, fans can expect to learn more about the supporting cast, details on the characters, and information on the release date of the film as the project continues.
Saif and Vidya have previously worked together on another film, so this is a reunion for them. For Batra, this is a new chance to tell a story about kinship, old feelings and the words that arrive when they had to become alien.
